August, and especially September, seem to have gone by in a flash. September is always a bit of a muddle, with the kids going back to school and me trying to get the hang of their schedule and trying to get back into my own schedule of writing, writing, and reading (and then more writing).
A lot of exciting writerly things did happen, and I was excited to see several of my stories released into the wild.
Stories (and a poem!) released into the wild
My short-short (350 word) flash When Mama Calls was published in Bracken Magazine, part of a fantastic lineup of stories, poetry and pictures: read it here.
My story Hare’s Breath was published in Shimmer (it will be available online later in October), and I am just thrilled to be part of this TOC that also includes stories by Sonya Taaffe, Brian Holguin, and Natalia Theodoridou. (Read my story notes for ‘Hare’s Breath’.) You can also read a new interview with me in the magazine! To read my story right away, buy issue #39 of Shimmer, or subscribe to this wonderful zine! Shimmer is also available from Weightless Books and Amazon.
My poem Solstice Blót was published in the horror-themed issue of Polar Borealis. This zine is a wonderful supporter of Canadian writers. Read my poem in issue #4.
My fantasy story Seven Kinds of Baked Goods (first published in the anthology ‘Just Desserts’), was published in Luna Station Quarterly. It has sharp blades, tea, poison and a whole lot of baked goods! Read it.
I was really excited to see my science fiction story The Gates of Balawat appear in Samovar Magazine. This story was originally published in Swedish, in my short story collection ‘Mimers brunn’ (Norstedts, 1996). I translated it into English, and you can read both the Swedish and English versions at Samovar: The Gates of Balawat / Balawats portar. Podcast versions of this story will be live in the coming week (the Swedish version is read by yours truly!).
At the end of September, my story The Wayfinder & His Sister went live at the amazing YA-podcast Cast of Wonders as part of Banned Books Week. (Read my story-notes.) I was blown away by the wonderful narration by Leigh Wallace and Christiana Ellis, and I am so grateful to Cast of Wonders for giving this story a perfect home. Listen to the story.
Since my last bi-monthly recap, I’ve had three stories appear on R.B. Wood’s wonderful Word Count Podcast (I love writing for this show):
Story sales
Mythic Delirium picked up my science-fictionish story Mothers, Watch Over Me. I can’t wait to share this one: it’s all about DOGS.
Aliterate picked up by science fiction story It Begins In the Garden. (It was a good couple of months for my scifi it seems!). This story has bugs, kids, friendship, and…well, some rather creepy things going on. *insert eerie music here*
The Centropic Oracle picked up my story Goodnight, Mr. President for their podcast. I’m pretty excited about this sale: it’s always a thrill to hear your words read by someone else and Centropic Oracle does some fabulous work.
Reviews
Author Vanessa Fogg had some very kind words about my story Firstborn in Capricious: “This fiercely written tale catches all the conflicted feelings of early motherhood—the fears, the ambivalence, the seeming loss of self in the face of a new life’s overwhelming need.” Read more at her website.
Bits & bobs
- There is a new interview with me in the very wonderful Chloe N. Clark’s TinyLetter: “It’s joyful and nourishing even when it’s frustrating”: An Interview with Maria Haskins. Follow Chloe on social media and elsewhere: not only is she an excellent writer of poetry and prose, she also posts amazing stuff about food and baked goods on a regular basis.
- This is also very cool: I interviewed the amazingly talented photographer and all around creative force Macushla Burke, and the interview was published in HUF Magazine! It’s accompanied by some beautiful and striking photos by Macushla. Read all about it.
Maria Haskins 
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